The FAI are close to announcing a new kit manufacturing deal, with British brand Castore set to replace Umbro as the supplier for the various Republic of Ireland teams.
It was revealed a couple of weeks ago that the FAI were set to end their long-standing partnership with JACC Sports, who had provided Ireland with New Balance and Umbro kits in recent times. The company has since gone into liquidation due to unpaid debts of around €13million.
There has been plenty of speculation as to who would fill the void left by their exit in recent times, with O'Neills and Adidas seeming like the most popular choices among the footballing public.
It now appears as though a replacement has been found.
FAI set to announce Castore partnership
The Irish Examiner are reporting that the FAI will soon announce a deal with Castore, set to come into effect in 2023.
The British manufacturer are a relatively new player on the scene, with Rangers the first club to partner up with them back in 2020. They have since signed up Premier League clubs such as Newcastle United, Wolves, and Aston Villa.
This will be their first foray into international football. It is likely that the Republic of Ireland senior men's team will wear the new kits during the international window in March of next year, while the WNT will do so in February.
A quick browse on social media will show you that the reaction to this news had been rather mixed from the supporters, with many uninspired by the design and quality of other current Castore kits.
There has even been an apparent leak doing the rounds, although the kits that are featured look pretty decent.
Are these the new Ireland x Castore jerseys? Supposed "leaked" image doing the rounds on WhatsApp. pic.twitter.com/sTxBphIvIC
— Adam Moynihan (@AdamMoynihan) November 10, 2022
Balls took a stab at guessing what a potential Ireland-Castore partnership could look like last month, along with other potential manufacturers.
The Irish Examiner believe that the new deal will also be part of a broader rebranding within the FAI.
It will be interesting to see what sort of designs are presented in the months ahead.
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